Life was getting to the point where a simple problem seemed like one Marcos could handle, and then it became an out-of-control disaster. The stress built up as a series of difficulties blindsided Marcos before he could address the simple one. Now, he didn’t know where to start, which fire to put out first.

What was making the situation worse was the time limits, like mortgage payments on the brink of putting him and his family of six children with college on the horizon, or the various leases on the family cars. Those were not the biggest problems, though. Being fired from a job of fifteen years was the biggest. At first, he thought it would be simple to find another job with his resume.

That was six months ago.

Marcos burned through their savings and IRAs faster than he thought possible. Even his 401(k) wasn’t large enough after paying the early withdrawal taxes. Yivette, his wife, had to go back to work, but at a low-wage service job.

Marco and Yivette endured the embarrassment they felt around their friends. Their prayer group was helpful. But it seemed as though God wasn’t listening, as each situation inflicted its damage on their family.

Marcos had friends who committed to helping his family move to a much smaller apartment complex with a tiny square footage for the eight of them.

Marcos finally found a job in an accounting firm. The firm had five partners, all CPAs. Each had its own employees, but the firm also had a central administrative hub. One of the Partners hired Marcos, as he knew him from church and had been one of those who helped him move. Marcos worked his tail off attempting to gain the partner’s attention and trust.

He was coming home exhausted about the time Yivette was leaving for her shift at the McDonald’s down the street. Twenty dollars an hour sounded like a lot, but Marcos and Yivette knew they had a long way to go to pay off their loans and cover rent.

Then Marcos’s car broke down at the office. It was on the other side of town in an upscale business complex. He stood there on the edge of a breakdown with tears unavoidably streaming down his face. Marcos gave up after a few minutes, as there were no cars left in the parking garage. He had been putting in extra hours. He found He was the last one out of the office. He started walking home. Not caring it was on the other side of town.

Marcos didn’t realize when the sun went down and the evening gradually faded into the darkness of night.

Marcos ignored everything around him. He didn’t even try to walk fast. He was desperately praying, which quickly became a defeated cry for help from God. There was an overwhelming sense of defeat, and he angrily told God that with as much profanity as his anger could muster.

The anger burned out after about an hour into the walk. Marcos was walking across the large suspension bridge over the Missouri River that separated the two halves of his city. He was deep in a misery-tinted thought when a classic little kid’s bicycle bell startled him out of his misery.

Marcos turned to see what was coming. Who was riding a bike in the middle of the night on this bridge? Whoever it was didn’t understand the level of danger they were in, as the bridge traffic was moderately heavy. What Marcos saw shocked him and replaced his sorrow with curiosity.

A huge man was riding a giant man-sized BMX bike. 

It had the classic high-rise ape-hanger handlebars, big fat car-sized tires, and a huge, comfy-looking banana seat. But the rest of the frame was barely observable, as it was translucent. It looked like a bike made of glass. Besides the thumb-rung bike bell on the right handlebar, there was a large clown-nose red Ahoooga horn on the left handlebar. Attached to the back of the banana seat was an accessory bar. Marcos could see multiple things sprouting from the bar. There was a light bar about twenty inches wide, and miniature Christmas lights outlined the tail end of the bike (no one could miss this bike toodling down the freeway).

More intriguing and amazing, however, was the man on the bike. He was large, with hair that seemed to change colors, as if on a timer. He was wearing a feathered pirate hat and a prodigious clown nose. But the rest of him was a Roman Centurion.

Who is this guy?

Then the bike stopped next to Marcos, and the man on the bike, in a perfect Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, said, “Get on if you want to live!”

Marcos felt an irresistible tug on his heart to climb onto the back seat of the banana seat. He hesitated for a second and then climbed on, and he had a feeling of joyful expectation he hadn’t experienced since being a kid with his own brand-new BMX bike.

The man turned the best he could, handed Marcos a pair of sparkly goggles, and said, “Hang on!” Then he honked the Ahoooga horn, which rivaled the Jim Carrey horn in the Mask movie, and launched the bike into traffic. Marcos would have been thrown off the back of the bike if the back bar hadn’t been there. And he quickly put on the goggles as the man driving the bike passed cars as if they were standing still. Marcos was hanging on for dear life.

Marcos was amazed at how fast they were going and at their uncanny ability to move through traffic. Then he realized that the man was laughing hysterically. At one point, the man turned in his seat, his face shining like a light bulb, and said, “Pretty fun, huh?”

Marcos realized the man had almost turned all the way around to face him. He wasn’t watching the road but was still maneuvering the bike.

Marcos’s fear went away after a few minutes, and he got into the spirit of over-the-top joy.

It didn’t take long to get home, and Marcos didn’t bother asking him how he knew where he lived.

As Marcos climbed off the bike, the man got his attention by gently ringing the bell. The man smiled at Marcos and took off the clown nose and said, “I heard your heart, Marcos. No need to be upset. I am with you 24/7, 365. I am always here with you. I want you to recognize the joy that is there for you, even though it feels like your world is caving in on you. Trust me, things are going to change for you. And, no, I can’t tell you when. That would be cheating.

But, as you can see, I am having a lot of fun! Even though I see all the moments of pain around the world every day. Just remember the fun of riding on the fastest bike ever. Don’t give in to the fear and depression. Just come and talk and stay awhile. I love you! And one of these days, I’ll get you one of these Kingdom bikes! See you later, Marcos. Keep your head on a swivel because there are Heavenly Easter eggs in life designed to remind you of my love for you. You know what it says about entertaining Angels!”

The man reached out, gave Marcos a bear hug, honked the horn, and disappeared down the road in a flash, laughing with Joyful confidence.